Labatt Memorial Park is marking the 140th anniversary since the first pitch was thrown from home plate.
Originally named Tecumseh Park, the baseball stadium near the forks of the Thames River is the world’s oldest continually operating baseball grounds, opening on May 3, 1877.
READ MORE: Canada’s Baseball Hall Of Fame class of 2017
“There were things that were different then. The outfield fences weren’t there, that’s where the buggies parked,” said Santry.
“People sat out there and watched the game, and that sort of formed the line for the fence.”
Today, the baseball stadium seats 5,200 fans.
“In 1877, London was in the International Association and it was baseball’s first minor league,” said baseball historian Joe Santry.
READ MORE: Delgado, Stairs, Alou among picks for Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
“The International Association had better players than the National League at the time, more hall-of-famers.”
The first game ever played on the field was between the London Tecumsehs and its junior team, the London Atlantics. The Tecumsehs won 5-1 in front of a crowd of about 1,000 fans.
The grandstands have been replaced three times since then, the first time due to the flood of 1883.
“For 40 years it didn’t have a team in the park. Usually, when that happens, the neighbourhood tears down the park and they build houses, but the park has stayed,” said Santry.
The longest running team that has called the stadium home is the London Majors, which was formed in 1925.
The baseball stadium was renamed the John Labatt Memorial Athletic Park on Dec. 31, 1936, after a $10,000 donation from the brewing company to renovate the park and turn over the deed to the City of London.
On May 30, 1994, the park was designated a historic site by the council of the day, following a lobbying effort by the group Friends of Labatt Park.
The London Majors’ home-opener is on Friday, May 12, 2017 against the Burlington Herd, first pitch is set for 7:35 p.m.
The Greater Toronto Area, including southern Ontario, are under a special weather statement for rain which will return to the region on Thursday.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement as rainfall amounts may reach 50 millimetres in some areas before it tapers to showers on the weekend.
The national weather agency said there may be potential for some local flooding and residents are being urged to be mindful of rising water levels near lakes and streams.
READ MORE: Flood fears renewed as Bowmanville residents brace for more wet weather this week
Global News meteorologist Anthony Farnell said Wednesday will be the best day of the week with overcast skies and sunny breaks. But the rain, wind and cold will make its way back on Thursday and well into the weekend.
There is plenty of incentive to take a long lunch break tomorrow. Rain/wind/cold weather returns Thursday to Sunday pic.twitter杭州桑拿/NWaEThnuJP
— Anthony Farnell (@AnthonyFarnell) May 2, 2017
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority has also raised its watershed conditions statement for water safety.
The public is being reminded to exercise caution around all bodies of water including the shoreline.
Residents living along Lake Ontario have been experiencing high water levels in recent weeks due to the rainfall in April.
READ MORE: Toronto conservation officials keeping close eye on rising water levels near Lake Ontario
Several homes near the Cedar Crest Beach area in Bowmanville have been dealing with basement flooding.
Clarington Emergency and Fire Services, along with city officials and homeowners, were out this past weekend helping to fill sand bags to protect properties in the area.
In Toronto, Ashbridges Bay Beach is undergoing some repairs following a series of damaging spring rainstorms that ravaged the coastline.
City crews have been grooming the sections affected by the excess water in recent days to make sure the area is safe for the public to use.
High Lake Ontario water levels leave Bowmanville homes flooded along shoreline
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High Lake Ontario water levels leave Bowmanville homes flooded along shoreline
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Flooding a concern as Lake Ontario records higher water levels
CLEVELAND – Dwane Casey wants his players to stop giving LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers so much respect.
A day after the Raptors were thrashed by Cleveland in the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the coach’s message to his team Tuesday was simple: the Cavs are human.
“They’re a good team, we know that. But we’re a good team, too, had the same record (51-31),” Casey said. “We have to go in with that confidence, that feeling of understanding say ‘Hey look, they put their pants on one leg at a time, too. One shoe at a time.’ I haven’t seen ’em jump in and pull them up at the same time.
“So we’ve got to go in with that belief, that understanding. And I have a belief that we’ll play better and get to that next gear the next game.”
The Raptors battle the Cavs in Game 2 at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday before the series heads home to Toronto for Games 3 and 4.
READ MORE: Cleveland Cavaliers win Game 1 of Eastern Conference semifinals against Toronto Raptors
James made like the cruel cat toying with a mouse en route to 35 points and 10 rebounds on Monday night. Whether it was his fake sideline beer-swigging, or his alley-oop dunk off the backboard, his hijinx conjured images of the Harlem Globetrotters.
Was DeMar DeRozan bothered by how the Cavs had fun at the Raptors expense?
“That’s them, man. Every team that LeBron has been on, they did some type of whatever,” he said.
“We can’t get caught up in that or making that part of the game. We gotta understand they we can go out there and control what we control and that’s for us to get a win.”
The danger, said Casey, is when players become awestruck by superstars. The 60-year-old coach has seen it before.
“We used to do that with Michael Jordan. We used to have to tell Gary Payton (in Seattle) and those guys ‘Hey, he puts his pants on one leg.’ . . I think that’s natural, it’s human nature to watch a Michael Jordan or a Karl Malone, spectate until they hit you in the mouth.
“When a guy hits you in the mouth a few times, now what are you going to do? That’s the mentality we have to have. They punched us. They won the first game. It didn’t feel good, but it’s a long series.”
COMMENTARY: Cavaliers set the tone in Game 1 vs. Raptors
The Raptors spent Tuesday morning dissecting video from the 116-105 loss.
Kyle Lowry was asked: did he like anything he saw?
“I liked that we had opportunities to be better. That’s what I did like,” Lowry said.
Lowry had the line of the afternoon. When asked if he was happy with his own performance Monday, he replied: “We lost. I’m never happy when we lose. I’m barely happy when we win.”
The three-time all-star had 20 points and 11 assists, and was arguably the Raptors’ most aggressive player on the night.
Lowry said the Raptors didn’t play with the pace they needed in Monday night’s track meet.
“When they score, you can’t put your head down,” he said. “You’ve got to get the ball out. You’ve got to run down the floor and not look to get a play call. The play call is secondary. Try to get something easy. Try to get a jump shot or open look quicker or get a layup.
VIDEO: Toronto Raptors weren’t physical enough in Game 1 loss to Cavs: Dwane Casey
“A lot of things they did, they made a shot, we took our time and it’s just a difficult pace to play at when you’re playing against a team that can roam and kind of junk up the game defensively.”
Lowry planned to spend much of what was left of Tuesday reviewing video.
“I’ll watch games tonight. I love basketball. My life revolves around basketball,” he said. “And you just watch the film. You’ve got your iPad. You’ve got your film on. You watch more film and see what you can do. You watch games tonight and enjoy it and go back to work tomorrow.”
The Raptors, who’ve made a habit of losing series openers – they’re now a woeful 1-12 – lost 115-84 in Cleveland in Game 1 in last season’s conference finals.
DeRozan said Monday’s defeat didn’t sting quite as much.
“It sucks to lose any type of way. But the way we lost last year, it hit a lot harder,” he said. “This time around we have kind of that confidence and understanding of how to get back on our feet.
“We’ve been here before and we know what it takes, especially after Game 1, being down with our foot in a hole so we gotta go out there and leave it out there.”
While the Raptors traditionally bounce back in Game 2s, they dropped the second game of last season’s series with Cleveland 108-89.
OTTAWA – Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan is expected to set the stage Wednesday for the Liberals’ much-anticipated defence policy by casting a glaring light on what senior defence sources say is a massive “hole” in military spending.
The hole has been caused by years of under-investment in the Canadian Armed Forces, the sources argue, and resulted in little-to-no money for the replacement of essential but aging equipment.
That includes new logistical vehicles and construction equipment such as bulldozers for the army, surveillance aircraft for the air force, and satellites for communications in the Arctic.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity.
The shortfall, which adds up to tens of billions of dollars, also includes upgrades to the military’s current fleet of search-and-rescue helicopters and training for aircrews.
READ MORE: Canada considering major new defence investments: Harjit Sajjan
The result is that work that should have already been underway to acquire a long list of equipment and services that the military needs to do its job has been stalled, the sources said, if it has started at all.
Training and even support and benefits for military personnel have also failed to keep up.
The full extent of the problem hasn’t been well understood outside National Defence even by experts, the sources said, and caught the Liberals by surprise when they took office in November 2015.
VIDEO: Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan sits down with Global News, revealing what’s next for the defence policy review and the mission in Iraq. Vassy Kapelos reports.
It has since posed a real challenge as the government has drawn up its new defence policy, which is expected to be unveiled before NATO leaders gather in Belgium later this month.
The hole will be Sajjan’s main focus when the minister addresses defence industry representatives and experts at a Conference of Defence Associations Institute luncheon on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Not helping veterans could turn into national security problem: Military Ombudsman
Sajjan is not expected to reveal how the Liberals plan to address the problem, including whether the government plans to put more money into the military or scrap some planned purchases.
Those details will have to wait for the actual defence policy, which the government says will be fully costed.
The Liberals ran in the last election on a promise to create a “leaner, more agile” military, but the sources noted the government wants more than the 65 new fighter jets previously promised by the Conservatives.
Canada is also facing pressure from the U.S. and NATO to increase its defence spending, which currently sits at around one per cent of GDP – half NATO’s two-per-cent target.
The presence of a gap between what the military needs and the money available won’t come as a surprise to some defence analysts who have been warning about such a problem for years.
READ MORE: Opposition criticizes Liberal defence policy report recommending new fighter jets in 12 months
David Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute has previously estimated a gap of about $2 billion per year between current funding levels and promised new equipment in the next few years.
The Parliamentary Budget Office released its own assessment in March 2015 that said the country’s military structure would become unsustainable over the next decade under existing defence spending levels.
A variety of factors have been blamed for the problem, including poor cost estimates during project planning and government’s refusal to add more money when delays result in cost increases from inflation.
Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, told in an interview in March that he was eager to see the new defence policy, which has promised to put the military on a strong footing.
“The here and now is fine, we’re delivering,” Vance said. “But going forward, that’s when the government committed to sustainable, progressive armed forces.”
Sajjan has been under intense pressure over the past few days after having to apologize and retract comments he made about his role in Operation Medusa in Afghanistan.
A suicide bombing in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday killed eight people and wounded at least 28, officials said, in an attack on a convoy of armored personnel carriers used by the NATO-led Resolute Support mission.
The blast hit the NATO coalition convoy during the morning rush hour in one of the busiest areas of Kabul. Public health officials in the capital said eight civilians were killed and at least 25 wounded, with a number of civilian vehicles that were near the convoy destroyed or badly damaged.
Raw video: Aftermath of roadside bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan
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Raw video: Aftermath of roadside bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan
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Taliban attack in Afghan capital Kabul kills at least 24
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American University of Afghanistan in Kabul under attack by gunmen
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80 killed, 231 wounded by suicide bomber in Kabul, ISIS claims responsibility
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A Resolute Support Spokesman, U.S. Navy Captain Bill Salvin, said three U.S. service members were wounded in the attack. The armored personnel carriers, which are designed to withstand large blasts, were able to return to a coalition base under their own power, he said.
The attack follows a threat by the Taliban to target foreign forces in the spring offensive that it launched last week.
READ MORE: 140 Afghan soldiers dead after Taliban disguised in army uniforms storm base
Witnesses said traces of blood and clothing could be seen on the ground at the blast site. Kabul television stations earlier reported that at least three people had been killed.
The heavily armored MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles that coalition forces use to travel in Kabul appeared to have suffered only relatively minor external damage, witnesses said.
One of the two men who died when a sport-fishing vessel sank off the west coast of Vancouver Island is a Calgary father, according to a family friend.
Heather Kachowski Harke said one of the men who died was Alvin Beckley, a husband to his wife, Jacqui, and father of three from Calgary. She said he was an apprentice electrician who was working in B.C. for several months.
A photo of Alvin Beckley on a GoFundMe page. A family friend has identified Beckley as one of two people who died when a sport-fishing vessel sank off the west coast of Vancouver Island on Sunday.
CREDIT: https://杭州夜生活gofundme杭州桑拿/BeckleyFamily
Beckley’s brother-in-law says Alvin wasn’t actually a big fan of fishing but likely didn’t want to pass up a chance to join his co-workers for a day on the ocean.
“I don’t know that he necessarily fished often but he was in Tofino and you definitely want to do that when you’re there,” Mike Provost said on Wednesday.
“He was in Tofino so you’ve got to get out and catch some big fish. They had Sunday off and they decided to go fishing as a group to go and enjoy themselves.”
Beckley was originally from Sierra Leone, but grew up in Alberta with his parents.
Watch below: Two fathers died when the boat they were fishing on went down near Tofino. Between the two fathers, they leave behind five children. Nancy Hixt filed this report on May 2, 2017.
“It’s been tough for sure. He’s got three little girls and it’s been a lot of tears and sadness, but also a lot of good fond memories,” Provost said. “It’s always good to reflect on the good times.
“He would always find a funny perspective and kind of crack a lot of jokes. It was always happy times with him. He was a loving father and a great husband.”
According to Provost, Beckley was diagnosed with diabetes a number of years ago and complications with the disease had kept him from being steadily employed over the last few years.
Harke has started a GoFundMe page for Beckley’s family, saying, “the tragic accident has left their family understandably devastated and uncertain of their financial future as Alvin was their sole provider.”
“It’s for the girls especially,” Provost said. “Alvin having diabetes and (being) the primary provider for the family … they had been having some struggles over the past little while in relation to that. They were just kind of getting back on their feet. The girls will need a lot of support.”
The second victim has been identified by family as Michael Cutler, who was born and raised in Halifax, but stayed in Lethbridge while working out west.
Michael Cutler was one of two men who died when a sport-fishing vessel sank off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Supplied to Global News
Michael Cutler was one of two men who died when a sport-fishing vessel sank off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Supplied to Global News
Michael Cutler was one of two men who died when a sport-fishing vessel sank off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Supplied to Global News
Michael Cutler was one of two men who died when a sport-fishing vessel sank off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Supplied to Global News
Cutler’s fundraising page requests help to bring his body back to the east coast.
“Mike was a loving friend, musician and one hell of an electrician. Although Mike is no longer with us, I guarantee nobody will forget his loving smile, constant jabs and sarcasm,” the page reads.
“Mike left behind two boys, Morgan (17) and Mackenzie (15) who need our support now more than ever.”
Beckley and Cutler died when a boat with five people on board took on water and overturned.
The RCMP have not confirmed the identities of the men who died or where they are from.
While Harke said Beckley was from Calgary, Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne said both of the victims were from Edmonton.
Staff Sgt. Annie Linteau said Tofino RCMP are investigating the capsizing of the 8.4-metre vessel Sunday in waters northwest of Bartlett Island near Tofino, a popular Vancouver Island tourist destination.
“We can confirm right now there were five men on board the vessel when it took on water and capsized,” she said. “Other sports vessels in the area rendered assistance in rescuing the people in the water. The Canadian Coast Guard personnel provided life-saving measures.”
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is now also investigating.
READ MORE: TSB sends investigators to scene of boat sinking
“We don’t have a lot of answers at this current time. There are still investigations going on,” Provost said.
“Eventually we will get to speak with the surviving members. I’m sure it was extremely tough for everybody involved in that whole scenario. We will get some more answers and clarity in the coming days for sure.”
The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria said it received a distress call from someone on the boat at about 1:20 p.m. on Sunday.
Watch below: Did weather play a role in Sunday fishing boat accident near Tofino?
Coast guard rescue boats, a Royal Canadian Air Force helicopter and a plane from Canadian Forces Base Comox were all dispatched to look for those who were thrown into the water, and a broadcast was put out asking marine vessels in the area to help in the search, Sub-Lt. Melissa Kia said Sunday.
Two commercial float planes also responded to the call for help and one of them spotted the people in the water and directed rescuers to the location, she said.
Osborne said the incident has shaken the community of about 1,800 residents.
“Everybody’s understandably concerned and a bit shaken up,” she said. “Of course we’re a very small and tight-knit community and news travels really fast. There’s a lot of concern for the friends and families of the victims and survivors.”
Osborne said the fish boat incident happened in an area where the whale watching vessel Leviathan II capsized in October 2015, resulting in six deaths when 27 people were dumped into the water.
The TSB has yet to complete its investigation into the cause of the Leviathan II incident, but investigators said shortly after the tragedy that passengers had been standing on one side of the top deck when a wave hit the opposite side of the vessel.
“It is fairly close to where the Leviathan II went down,” said Osborne. “It’s the outside of Clayoquot Sound facing the open ocean. It’s in an area where a lot of whale watching guides and fishing guides are very familiar with.”
Linteau said the RCMP is continuing its investigation into the cause of accident.
Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday she suspects President Donald Trump‘s campaign gave guidance to Russian government propaganda efforts during last year’s U.S. presidential campaign, leveling her most serious charge yet against the person who defeated her.
The former Democratic presidential candidate, appearing at a tech conference near Los Angeles, said propaganda spread on sites such as Facebook helped cost her the election, and she urged Silicon Valley firms to move faster to stop false stories.
Trump has said that there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia.
Hillary Clinton says her ‘heart goes out’ to victims of Manchester bombing
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Hillary Clinton says her ‘heart goes out’ to victims of Manchester bombing
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Echoing assessments of U.S. intelligence agencies, Clinton said the Russian government wanted to spread disinformation about her. But she added they “could not have known how best to weaponize that information unless they had been guided.”
“Guided by Americans?” asked Walt Mossberg, a technology journalist interviewing Clinton on stage.
“Guided by Americans and guided by people who have polling and data,” Clinton responded.
READ MORE: White House says it will no longer comment on Russia probe
She was pressed by another journalist on stage, Kara Swisher, who asked: “But you’re leaning Trump?”
“Yes, I think it’s pretty hard not to,” Clinton said. She said there had been a “marriage” of people who spread false stories with Republicans who had detailed voter data.
It appeared to be the first time Clinton had accused Trump of collusion with Russians. Earlier this month, she blamed Russian hackers and then-FBI Director James Comey for costing her the election.
In this April 20, 2017 file photo, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks in New York.
Kevin Hagen/AP
The White House on Wednesday referred questions about Russia to Trump’s outside counsel, Marc Kasowitz. He could not immediately be reached.
Later in her appearance on Wednesday, Clinton slammed Trump’s ability to create distractions using 杭州桑拿会所. “It’s the circus, right? It’s what a classic authoritarian does,” she said.
Trump’s administration has been dogged in its first months by allegations his associates had inappropriate contacts with Russian government officials. A special counsel, former FBI Director Robert Mueller, was appointed to lead an investigation after Trump fired Comey. Moscow has denied meddling in the U.S. election.
‘Hurry up’
Clinton mentioned Facebook by name, saying the social media network was flooded with false information about her and that people were understandably misled. She said she would like to see Facebook curate its network more aggressively.
“I have a lot of sympathy at this point… for people trying to make these decisions. I would just urge them to hurry up,” she said.
READ MORE: Former Trump adviser Michael Flynn agrees to provide documents to Russia-election probe
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in November it was “crazy” to think that fake news on the site had influenced the election. Beginning in December, Facebook began introducing tools to try to prevent fake news stories from spreading.
Clinton said that in targeting voters online, she was at a disadvantage to Trump because the Republican Party provided him with an extensive database, through an organization called the Data Trust, that Democrats did not have.
“I inherited nothing from the Democratic Party. I mean, it was bankrupt. It was on the verge of insolvency,” Clinton said. “Its data was mediocre to poor, nonexistent, wrong. I had to inject money into it, the DNC, to keep it going.”
Flood waters are continuing to threaten hundreds of homes in Rigaud and Mayor Hans Gruenwald Jr. says about 400 residences could be affected.
Thirty-one families have had to evacuate their homes and are being helped by family, friends and the Red Cross.
He is urging residents living near the Ottawa river to leave before the situation worsens.
“We really would like people to take up our offer. We will feed them and house them and even offer psychological help because we know it is getting stressful,” said Gruenwald Jr. Tuesday evening.
Rising water levels have pushed hundreds of residents living near the Rigaud and Ottawa rivers out of their homes over the last few weeks.
Gruenwald says river levels have risen by eight centimetres in the past two weeks and are expected to climb another five to seven centimetres.
He says that means water could start entering homes through basement windows.
Eight gates open at the Hydro dam in Pointe-Fortune to release water pressure, Tuesday, May 2, 2017.
Dorothy Sabourin
“It’s terrible. I’m so discouraged, It is worse than last week,” Claude De la Fontaine told Global News.
He has decided not to leave his home again unless officials insist he leaves.
“We just keep putting the sandbags in place, but for now they aren’t working. This is the worse I’ve ever seen it,” said De la Fontaine.
More rain is expected for the region throughout the end of the week.
WINNIPEG – It was supposed to be the Winnipeg Wesmen baseball team’s year end party on Tuesday, but they didn’t have any reason to celebrate after just learning their team was cut by the university.
“I was devastated.” said Wesmen catcher Kyle Becker. “I didn’t see it coming. We were all getting pumped up for next year and then we just got told we got canned, so it’s rough. It’s hard for us.”
“It hit me hard because I’m going into my senior year.” said pitcher Tyler Moskalyk.
“Next year we were supposed to have a big year and I just feel like it’s been ripped out from us.”
The University of Winnipeg announced they were eliminating three teams effective immediately. In addition to the men’s baseball team, the men’s and women’s wrestling programs were chopped, while the men’s soccer team has been put on hold for next season.
RELATED: University of Winnipeg cuts wrestling, baseball teams in effort to balance budget
For the university it came down to academics over athletics in their cost-cutting measures. In the end it was the most recent teams that got the axe.
“We wanted to, as much as possible, preserve academics excellence and support for students.” said Chris Minaker, the universities senior executive officer.
“This is a financial decision, eliminating the teams will yield approximately $400,000.”
Wesmen head coach Morgan de Pena was shocked when he was informed of the decision and he spent the day dealing with angry parents.
“We got kids from across the country and now they’re asking me, and their parents are asking me what are we going to do ? Where is he going to school ? What happens now ? Is there a way of fighting this ? I don’t know all the answers.” de Pena said.
What’s even more confusing for de Pena is he says the team was completely self-sustaining and didn’t receive funding from the school, coming up with their own cash to cover their $130,000 a year budget.
“We’re not an expense so I’m caught off guard as to why we’re done.” said de Pena. “We raised all of our own money. The players pay a player fee of $3,500 per player and we also fundraised.”
But according to the University of Winnipeg they put $21,000 into the baseball team this season.
“The intent was, I think to have it be completely self-sustaining.” said Minaker. “In reality, it wasn’t quite and it was an expense and therefore it was eliminated.”
“I wish they would have approached me about that.” de Pena said. “If there had been any cost, the university should have informed us that there was expenses out there. We would have made restitution for that.”
Just a couple days ago the Wesmen were only one win away from their first ever berth in the conference tournament, but now players are left wondering where or if they’ll be playing.
“Probably just stay home, call it a career.” Becker said.
“I pitched my last inning this weekend and I didn’t even know I was, so I didn’t even get to appreciate it.” said Moskalyk.
Despite eliminating the three teams, the school says they will honour all existing scholarships. But that won’t help players on the baseball team as they weren’t playing on scholarships.
The U.S. Justice Department has decided not to charge two white Baton Rouge police officers in the death of a black man whose fatal shooting was captured on cellphone video, fueling protests in Louisiana’s capital and beyond, The Associated Press has learned.
Federal authorities opened a civil rights investigation immediately after the July 2016 police shooting that killed 37-year-old Alton Sterling outside a convenience store where he was selling homemade CDs.
A person familiar with the decision disclosed it to the AP on Tuesday. The person was not authorized to talk publicly about the decision and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
In reference to recent media reports, there has been no official statement from the USDOJ. Our office will not comment until that time.
— AG Jeff Landry (@AGJeffLandry) May 2, 2017
The department’s decision doesn’t preclude state authorities from conducting their own investigation and pursuing their own criminal charges.
Two cellphone videos of Sterling’s deadly struggle with two white officers, Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, quickly spread on social media after the July 5 shooting.
WATCH: Officers involved in Alton Sterling shooting identified
A police report says Sterling was initially jolted with a stun gun after he didn’t comply with the officers’ commands to put his hands on the hood of a car. The report also says the officers saw the butt of a gun in one of Sterling’s pants pockets and saw him try to reach for it before he was shot.
Justin Bamberg, an attorney for some of Sterling’s relatives, has said the family wanted an indictment.
READ MORE: Coroner: Judge has sealed Alton Sterling’s autopsy report
Bamberg also represents relatives of Walter Scott, an unarmed black man who was running from a traffic stop in Charleston, South Carolina, when a white police officer shot and killed him in 2015. The former officer, 35-year-old Michael Slager, pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges on Tuesday, five months after a jury deadlocked on state murder charges against him.
In Baton Rouge last summer, police arrested nearly 200 protesters following Sterling’s death, which occurred a day before another black man was killed by police in Minnesota.
Racial tensions in Baton Rouge were simmering when a black military veteran from Missouri ambushed and killed three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers and wounded three others before being shot dead on July 17. The city was still reeling from the shootings when August floodwaters damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of homes in the area.
WATCH: Security expert weighs in on Alton Sterling shooting
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards immediately asked for a federal investigation of Sterling’s death. He called cellphone video of the incident “disturbing, to say the least.”
The videos show Sterling scuffling with Salamoni and Lake after they responded to a caller’s complaint that Sterling had threatened the caller with a gun outside the Triple S Food Mart.
The two officers had Sterling pinned on his back when gunfire erupted, moments after someone yelled, “He’s got a gun!”
Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. has said Sterling was armed but didn’t specify the type of weapon. The store’s owner, Abdullah Muflahi, has said Sterling wasn’t holding a gun during the shooting but he saw officers remove one from his pocket afterward.
WATCH: Lawyers for Alton Sterling’s family to uncover history of racial profiling by Baton Rouge police
As a convicted felon, Sterling couldn’t legally carry a gun. Court records show Sterling had pleaded guilty in 2011 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and illegally carrying a weapon and was arrested in May 2009 after an officer confronted him outside another store where he was selling CDs.
In the shooting’s aftermath, Dabadie called the encounter a “horrible tragedy.”
Police have said they have dashcam and bodycam video and store surveillance footage of the shooting, though none of it has been released. A federal judge sealed a coroner’s report on Sterling’s autopsy.
Both officers were placed on administrative leave, a standard procedure. Salamoni has been a Baton Rouge police officer for four years; Lake had been on the force for three years. Each had two prior “use of force” complaints against them, and they were cleared in all four of those cases, internal affairs records indicate.
East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore recused himself from any state criminal investigation into Sterling’s death, citing his professional relationship with Salamoni’s parents. Salamoni’s father, Noel Salamoni, is a Baton Rouge police captain. His mother, Melissa Salamoni, retired as a Baton Rouge police captain last June after 32 years on the force.
READ MORE: The woman in the dress: The story behind the ‘iconic’ Black Lives Matter protest photo
Moore’s recusal left Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry to decide whether to have his own office review evidence for possible state charges or to appoint another district attorney to take over the case.
Landry has said he wouldn’t have access to the federal investigation on Sterling’s shooting until it was completed.
Landry said in a July 11 statement that his office trusts the federal government to investigate the case and looks forward to “fulfilling our responsibilities” after getting the results of the federal investigation.
Bamberg, the attorney for some of Sterling’s relatives, urged Landry in July to “fight for justice” in the case and expressed hope that the attorney general’s office “one day” will get involved.
The mass arrests of people protesting Sterling’s death led to federal lawsuits accusing police of using excessive force and violating protesters’ civil rights. Gov. Edwards, who comes from a family of sheriffs, has said he was pleased with the police response to the protests and defended their deployment of riot gear and weaponry.
